Bruce Arians Deserving Of AP Coach Of The Year Award

The Arizona Cardinals may not have been able to compete for a Super Bowl championship in 2014 but they are coming away with plenty of hardware anyway. Head coach Bruce Arians was honored with the Associated Press Coach of the Year for 2014.

More from Arizona Cardinals

• Arizona Cardinals Paid Sam Bradford $6.75 Million Per TD Pass
• Larry Fitzgerald Bailed Out the Arizona Cardinals Offense in Week 8
• Byron Leftwich Brings a Little Bruce Arians to Arizona Cardinals OC Gig
• Arizona Cardinals: Why Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy Was Fired
• Arizona Cardinals: Getting Ready For Thursday Night Football

It is hard to think of someone more deserving for the award.  The Arizona Cardinals faced more adversity in one season than most face in five season.  Injuries decimated the Arizona Cardinals in 2014.  They suffered multiple season ending injuries to players on both side of the ball.

Despite playing short-handed for the entire season the Arizona Cardinals still managed lead the NFC for most of it. At one point in the season they held a two game lead on the NFC West and the NFC.  Only after Drew Stanton suffered his second injury of the season did the Cardinals give ground in the playoff race after being forced to play their fourth different quarterback of the season.

Arizona lost the top seed in the playoffs but still managed to secure the fifth seed on the strength of wins earlier in the season.  That earned them a wild card road trip to Carolina where the Panther proved too much for the injury riddled Cardinals to handle.

Here is the Arizona Cardinals season by the numbers

• Four different starters at quarterback
• Three season ending injuries
• Two players lost related to off the field issues
• 11 Wins
• 5th seed in the playoffs

When you look at the Cardinals season it is incredible, almost unbelievable in fact, that they made the playoffs.  It’s difficult to imagine anyone more deserving.